NCPW: Web Links

Web Links

The Federal Trade Commission is the nation's consumer protection champion. The FTC works For The Consumer to prevent fraud, deception and unfair business practices in the marketplace and to provide the information you need to identify and avoid fraud and deception.

The FTC publishes free brochures on a variety of consumer related issues. For a complete list of publications, write for Best Sellers, Consumer Response Center, Federal Trade Commission, Washington, DC 20580; or call (202) FTC-HELP (382-4357), TDD (202) 326-2502. You also can access FTC consumer and business publications online at www.ftc.gov.

Consumer who have been the victim of fraud or deception may file a complaint online with the FTC at www.ftc.gov or send their complaint to the FTC. Write to: Consumer Response Center, Federal Trade Commission, Washington, DC 20580. Although the Commission cannot resolve individual disputes, the information you provide may indicate a pattern of possible law violations requiring action by the Commission.

AARP

AARP, celebrating 40 years of service to Americans of all ages, is the nation's leading organization for people age 50 and older. It serves their needs and interests through information and education, advocacy and community services which are provided by a network of local chapters and experienced volunteers throughout the country. The organization also offers members a wide range of special benefits and services, including Modern Maturity magazine and the monthly Bulletin.

Consumer Federation of America (CFA)

Since 1968, the Consumer Federation of America (CFA) has provided consumers a well-reasoned and articulate voice in decisions that affect their lives. Day in and out, CFA's professional staff gathers facts, analyzes issues, and disseminates information to the public, legislators, and regulators.

CFA is first and foremost an advocacy organization, working to advance pro-consumer policy on a variety of issues before Congress, the White House, federal and state regulatory agencies, and the courts. Its staff works with public officials to promote beneficial policies, to oppose harmful policies, and to ensure a balanced debate on important issues in which consumers have
a stake.

CFA is also an educational organization, disseminating information on consumer issues to the public and the media, as well as to policy makers and other public interest advocates. Conferences, reports, books, brochures, news releases, a newsletter, and a web-site all contribute to CFA's education program.

Finally, CFA is a membership organization, providing support to national, state, and local organizations committed to the goals of consumer advocacy and education. Most member organizations are consumer advocacy and education groups -- national, state, or local -- or consumer cooperatives -- credit unions, rural electrics, housing co-ops, and other member-owned service organizations.

Department of Justice (DOJ)

The United States Department of Justice ("the Department") enforces Federal laws and defends the interests of the United States according to the law. Federal investigative agencies with major consumer protection responsibilities, such as the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Federal Trade Commission, the Food and Drug Administration, the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Postal Inspection Service, the Department of Transportation, and the Consumer Product Safety Commission refer numerous civil and criminal prosecutions to the Department. In pursuing these cases, the Department seeks to protect consumers against dangerous and worthless products, adulterated and mislabeled food and drugs, and unfair or fraudulent practices. It does so through the enforcement of consumer protection statutes, regulations, and orders.

The Department has filed numerous actions in recent years against individuals and businesses committing fraud or violating laws and regulations that are intended to eliminate misrepresentations in the sales of goods and services. In the telemarketing fraud area alone, the Department has, in two major undercover operations (Operation Disconnect and Operation Senior Sentinel) brought federal criminal charges against more than 1,300 fraudulent telemarketers.

National Association of Attorney's General (NAAG)

The National Association of Attorneys General (NAAG) counts among its members the Attorneys General of the 50 states and the chief legal officers of the District of Columbia, the Commonwealths of Puerto Rico and the Northern Mariana Islands, and the territories of American Samoa, Guam, and the Virgin Islands. Attorneys General are the chief legal officers in their respective states and serve as counselors for state government agencies and the legislature and as representatives of the public interest. It is often said that Attorneys General occupy the intersection of law and public policy, dealing in areas as diverse consumer protection, drug policy, and environmental protection. Through NAAG, Attorneys General are drawn together to work collectively on legal and public policy issues of common concern.

National Assocation of Consumer Agency Administrators (NACAA)

NACAA, the National Association of Consumer Agency Administrators is a non-profit association for government consumer protection agencies. NACAA works to support and promote the role of government agencies in ensuring an honest, safe, informed marketplace, and promoting consumer and business responsibility in a competitive economy.

National Consumers League (NCL)

The National Consumers League, founded in 1899, is America's oldest nonprofit consumer organization. Dedicated to promoting fairness in the workplace and the marketplace, NCL's three-pronged approach of research, education and advocacy has made it an effective representative and source of information for consumers and workers. NCL offers educational materials on a wide variety of subjects, including child labor, credit, electronic commerce, food and drug safety, protecting the environment, and telecommunications. NCL also operates the National Fraud Information Center/Internet Fraud Watch programs, which provide advice about telemarketing and Internet fraud and relay information from consumers about suspected telemarketing and Internet fraud to law enforcement agencies.

U.S. Postal Service (USPS)

The United States Postal Service (USPS) is an independent agency of the U.S. Government. Created in 1775 as the Post Office Department, with Benjamin Franklin as the first Postmaster General, it is the second oldest department of the United States of America. Handling 650 million pieces of mail a day, the Postal Service provides mail service in the United States to virtually everyone, everywhere, everyday, with regular service six days a week and Express Mail service on Sunday. USPS also serves 7 million retail customers a day through a retail network of more than 38,000 post offices.

U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS)

Founded by Benjamin Franklin, the United States Postal Inspection Service is one of our country's oldest federal law enforcement agencies. The United States Postal Inspection Service has a long, proud and successful history of fighting criminals who attack our nation's postal system and misuse it to defraud, endanger or otherwise threaten the American public. As the law enforcement arm of the United States Postal Service, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service is tasked with the enforcement of over 200 federal laws covering investigations of crimes that adversely affect or fraudulently use the U.S. Mail and postal system.

BetterWeb^SM
The BetterWeb^SM is a Web standards program from PricewaterhouseCoopers that addresses the areas where consumers perceive the most risk in online transactions: sales terms, privacy, security and customer complaint policies. The BetterWeb Program establishes standards for consumer focused Web site disclosures in these four key areas so consumers have access to the information they need to make better choices online. By displaying the BetterWeb^SM Seal, a business tells its customers that it commits to the BetterWeb disclosure standards.

The BetterWeb disclosure standards were developed after thoroughly reviewing consumer research, consulting with industry experts, surveying industry practices, studying the recommendations of advocacy groups, and analyzing hundreds of leading Web sites. The result is a set of comprehensive standards that serves both consumers and businesses.

Direct Marketing Association
The Direct Marketing Association is the largest trade association for businesses interested in interactive and database marketing, with nearly 4,600 members from the US and 53 other countries. Founded in 1917, its members include catalogers, Internet retailers and service providers, financial service providers, publishers, book and music clubs, retail stores, and non-profit organizations, as well as services that support them. The DMA acquired the Internet Alliance in 1999 and the Association for Interactive Media in 1998, thus creating the largest trade association for businesses on the Internet. According to a DMA-commissioned study conducted by the WEFA Group, direct marketing sales in the US exceeded $1.5 trillion in 1999. The DMA's Web site is www.the-dma.org and its consumer Web site is www.shopthenet.org.

Revised: 12/18/00